One of my pet peeves is people who like to shorten my name. Why do you feel the need to do this? I’m sorry but Becca isn’t flattering to me. And don’t call me Becky! I asked my mom, sister, and other family members to stop calling me this. This one is my mom’s fault because she called me Becky when I was little. However, I’m not five-years-old anymore! I do, however, like Beck. He is a great singer! I’m not found of Becks either, even though it’s the name of a popular beer. These days I prefer a fine wine to a beer. Unless, of course, I have a Guinness or McEwan Lager from a cheeky pub in the UK or Ireland! If you shorten my name, I’ll gently and politely correct you and tell you my name is Rebecca!

I would never shorten a person’s name. Why would I? What gives me the right to do so? It’s your name. Like it or not, our name is important to us. Some people may disagree and say you’re more than your name. Duh! (Stole that from Charlie). Of course you are. However, your name is important when you’re living on planet Earth. That’s how we roll.

The next time you have the urge to shorten a person’s name, you may want to think about it. They may not appreciate being called Kathy when they’re name is Katherine or Kathleen. They may not like being called Robbie when their name is Robert or Roberta. Learn to respect another person’s wishes and for heaven’s sake don’t take it personally. After all, it’s not about you!

Rebecca

P.S.
If someone is shortening your name and you don’t like it, speak up. There’s no need to be rude about it. Remember, most people aren’t psychic (or haven’t developed this skill) or mind readers. You have to tell them what you expect to be called. Otherwise, you’ll be called all sorts of names!

I started MisticCafe in 2008 with a vision that it would be a blog that would be more like a newspaper or magazine than a typical blog. I know that most people write on a specific ‘niche’ topic but I’m not one-dimensional — none of us are. I have a variety of interests and want to explore all of them. More importantly, I want to be able to say what’s on my mind without it being censored. For example, my philosophy regarding music, television shows, and movies is if you don’t like the subject material don’t watch or listen — you can change the channel, i.e. the recent broadcast of the Golden Globes. Why the hell Ricky Gervais was hired in the first place is beyond me. He’s a British comedian, who may ruffle a few feathers. No one from the Golden Globes have obviously hasn’t watched any of his comedic specials. Ricky’s not conservative or at least he doesn’t appear to be. If the Golden Globes didn’t know that about him, they do now!

Anyway, I’d like to take MisticCafe to the next level. I want explore current events, pop culture, arts and entertainment, spirituality, personal development, health and wellness, fitness, life, and anything else that strikes my fancy. Readers who want a ‘fresh’ blog or are looking to be pushed out of their comfort zone will appreciate MisticCafe because it won’t be the same old, same old blog. It will be a blog where I explore life and everything that goes with it. If you’re up for an adventure and a ride of a lifetime — here we go!

Rebecca

Once upon a time, when you called a company a real person answered the phone. If you had a complaint, your call was forwarded to a customer service representative. Ah, the good ol’ days. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could go back to the time when “customer service” existed? A woman can dream can’t she!

Companies used automated phone systems because they cut costs and save time. Do they really save time and for whom? What about saving the company money? If you lose customers because they’re tired of your automated phone system, how is that saving your company money?

I’m tired of pressing 1 for English or 2 for Spanish. This is America, we speak English. Before you know it, you’ll be asked to press 3 for Mandarin Chinese, 4 for Japanese, 5 for French, 6 for Portuguese, 7 for Swahili, 8 for Latin, and 9 for Hungarian! Once you select your language, you’ll be asked to press 1 for this department, press 2 for that department, or press 3 for another department. You could travel to China faster than you can reach a customer service representative.

Automated phone systems never give you the option to press 0 for the operator. You can try to press 0 and hope to be transferred to customer service or redial and try again. How does this save the customer time? If an operator would be pickup straightaway, you could be connected to the right department in no time.

In my opinion, automated phone systems are the most irritating invention. I’d prefer to hire someone to answer phone calls from customers and have them directed to the correct people. Some may argue this cannot be done because we are global society. Others will argue that scaling back on automated phone systems will hurt corporations. Sigh…

All I want is to speak to a human being and not waste time pressing buttons on a phone. If I want to waste time pressing buttons, I’ll play a video game! It would be more fun than pressing buttons trying to reach the right department and person who can help me!

Rebecca

What bugs you the most about automated phone systems?